This is a sweet tearjerker of an album disguised as a lowly covers set. A few years ago, long-time cult heroes and doggedly romantic songwriters Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby became collaborators — and a couple — after each had written a career's worth of messed-up-love songs. This set of non-originals attests to their great combined record collection. It's mostly non-obvious '60s songs, with one '70s oddity ("Living Next Door to Alice," a UK hit by Smokie) along with latter-day tracks by Tom Petty ("Walls") and the Who ("Endless Wire").

But the album turns out prettier and more melancholy than anything either has done solo. For example, "In My Room" — not exactly the happiest Beach Boys tune to begin with — sounds a lot more desperate, as if Brian Wilson had written it during his '70s withdrawal. Rigby makes "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" more of a plea, losing the bubbly feel of Jackie DeShannon's original. She also does a non-campy take on Abba's "Fernando."

Eric turns "I Get Out of Breath" (a lesser-known Turtles album track) from a teen-angst anthem into a grown-up-angst anthem by updating the age reference and giving it a more grizzled vocal. Eric's cockney drawl finds its unlikely match in Amy's purer tone, and this disc is as heartfelt as the pop songs they love.

Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin George and Ira Gershwin's music may have been the pop music of its day, but — like much of the Great American Songbook — it was more sophisticated than most of the pop of the '50s and '60s.

Review: The many tentacles of Jason Spooner's Sea Monster Jason Spooner is an amalgamation of John Prine and John Mayer — great songs and great hair, all in one package. Their aesthetics are similar, too. Sure, there are important and wounded songs in the bag, but these guys aren't afraid to have a good time, either.

Gruff Rhys | Hotel Shampoo Gruff Rhys has gone into extracurricular overdrive. In the past five years, he's released more solo albums and side projects than he has discs with his long-time band Super Furry Animals.

The Who | Quadrophenia: The Director's Cut Pete Townshend's working demos for the Who have long been sought in bootleg circles, often for the simple reason that the songwriter's vulnerable vocals offer relief from the barbaric yawp of lead singer Roger Daltrey.

Interview: Michael Lang "At the end, he talks about how wonderful it was, but throughout the entire day, Pete Townshend was like the Grinch that stole Christmas. He was uptight, miserable, hated being there, and wanted to go home."

WALTER SICKERT LEADS A BAND OF MUSICAL MISFITS | February 05, 2011 When Walter Sickert and his Army of Broken Toys played an official First Night show at the Hynes Auditorium on New Year's Eve, they ran overtime and the soundman pulled the plug — which isn't quite the smartest way of shutting down an acoustic band.

REVIEW: ROCK OF AGES | October 12, 2010 At the start of the hair-metal musical Rock of Ages (at the Colonial Theatre through October 17), narrator Lonny (Patrick Lewallen) promises a night of sexy decadence and general kick-assery.